Canadian Lynx

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Canadian Lynx[1]

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Lynx
Species: L. canadensis
Binomial name
Lynx canadensis
Kerr, 1792

The Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. It is a close relative of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Some authorities regard both as conspecific. However, in some characteristics the Canadian lynx is more similar to the bobcat (Lynx rufus) than to the Eurasian lynx. With the recognized subspecies, it ranges across Canada and into Alaska as well as some parts of the northern United States.

With a dense silvery-brown coat, ruffed face and tufted ears, the Canadian lynx resembles the other species of the mid-sized Lynx genus. It is larger than the bobcat, with whom it shares parts of its range, and over twice the size of the domestic cat.

Contents

[edit] Taxonomy

There had been debate over whether to classify this species as Lynx canadensis or Felis canadensis, part of a wider issue regarding whether the four species of Lynx should be given their own genus, or be placed as a subgenus of Felis.[3][4] The Lynx genus is now accepted, and the bobcat listed as Lynx rufus in taxonomic sources. Johnson et al. report that Lynx shared a clade with the Puma, leopard cat (Prionailurus), and domestic cat (Felis) lineages, dated to 7.15 Ma; Lynx diverged first, approximately 3.24 Ma. (There are significant confidence intervals for both figures.)[5]

[edit] Subspecies

Three subspecies of the Canadian lynx are currently recognized:

  • L. canadensis canadensis
  • L. canadensis mollipilosus
  • L. canadensis subsolanus: The Newfoundland lynx is a subspecies of the Canadian lynx. It is larger than the mainland subspecies. This animal is known to have killed caribou calves when snowshoe hares were not available.

[edit] Physical characteristics

Canadian lynx
Canadian lynx
Canadian lynx
Canadian lynx

The appearance of the Canadian lynx is similar to that of the Eurasian lynx: the dense fur is silvery brown and may bear blackish markings. The Canadian is rather smaller than its Eurasian cousin, at an average size of 11 kg (24 lbs), 90 cm (36 in) in length and a shoulder height of 60 cm (24 in). Males are larger than females. In summer, its coat takes on a more reddish brown colour. This lynx has a furry ruff which resembles a double-pointed beard, a short tail with a black tip and long furry tufts on its ears. Its long legs with broad furred feet aid the Canadian lynx in traveling through deep snow.

[edit] Behaviour

The Canadian lynx is a solitary and secretive animal, usually active at night, and requires a large territory. It breeds in spring and one to five kittens are born. The survival of the young depends heavily on the availability of prey species.

[edit] Hunting and diet

The Canadian lynx hunts for hares, rodents, birds and sometimes kills larger animals such as deer. It relies mainly on hearing and sight to locate prey. In some areas the snowshoe hare is virtually the only prey of the Canadian lynx. The size of the Canadian lynx population tends to follow the approximately 10 year long rise and decline of snowshoe hare numbers.

[edit] Reproduction and life cycle

Female Canadian lynx use maternal dens from birth of their young until the they are weaned and able to forage for food themselves. Typically inside thickets of shrubs or trees or woody debris, dens are generally situated mid-slope and face south or southwest.[6]

[edit] Distribution and habitat

This cat is found in northern forests across almost all of Canada and Alaska. In addition there are large populations of this lynx in Montana, Idaho and Washington and a resident population exists in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming that extends into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.[7] The Canadian lynx is rare in Utah, Minnesota, and New England; reintroduction efforts in Colorado have been ongoing since 1999, with the first wild-born kittens confirmed in 2003, with many successful kindles thereafter. The Canadian lynx is a threatened species in the contiguous United States.

[edit] Reintroduction

In the United States, prior to 1999, lynx were known to occur only in Alaska, Washington state, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and possibly in Michigan. Starting in 1999, the Colorado Division of Wildlife began a program reintroducing a wild lynx population back to Colorado. While showing early signs of promise, biologists say it will take more than a decade to determine whether the program is a success. However, in 2006 the first case of a native-born Colorado lynx giving birth since 1999 was documented: it gave birth to 2 kittens, affirming the possibility of successful reintroduction.

In 2007 several of these lynx were shot and killed by unknown persons. In some cases only the radio tracking collars were found, leading to suspicions of fur poaching, in other cases the animals were shot and the body left intact.[8]

[edit] Cycle of lynx abundance

In the northern parts of Canada, its population can be estimated from the records kept from the number caught each year for its fur. Records have been kept by the Hudson's Bay Company and Canadian government since the 1730s.[9] A graph of its abundance is characterized by huge rises and falls with the peaks occurring at a level typically ten times higher than the troughs and about 5 years after them, and the process then reversing itself.

This lynx is a specialist predator, eating Snowshoe Hare almost exclusively when they are available. The population variation of the lynx and the hare is an example of a predator-prey cycle. Environmental factors such as weather and forest plant growth that may affect this population variation have been studied. A number of other species that are unrelated to either animal, as far as food chains are concerned, show population cycles of similar lengths.[citation needed] These include abundance of Atlantic salmon, chinch bugs in Illinois, the tent caterpillar, the coyote, hawk owl eggs, grouse, martens, minks, the muskrat, the fisher and hawks.

[edit] Conservation

The Canadian lynx is trapped for its fur and has declined in many areas due to habitat loss, and the IUCN lists them as Least Concern.[2] On 24 March 2000, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issued its Final Rule, which designated the Canadian lynx a Threatened Species in the lower 48 states.[10] [11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 541. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
  2. ^ a b Cat Specialist Group (2002). Lynx canadensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  3. ^ Zielinski, William J; Kuceradate, Thomas E (1998). American Marten, Fisher, Lynx, and Wolverine: Survey Methods for Their Detection. DIANE Publishing, 77-8. ISBN 0788136283. 
  4. ^ Carron Meaney; Gary P. Beauvais (September 2004). Species Assessment for Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis) in Wyoming (PDF). United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  5. ^ Johnson, W.E., Eizirik, E., Pecon-Slattery, J., Murphy, W.J., Antunes, A., Teeling, E. & O'Brien, S.J. (2006). "The Late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment.". Science 3: 73-77. doi:10.1126/science.1122277. 
  6. ^ Slough, BG (1999). "(abstract) Characteristics of Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis, Maternal Dens and Denning Habitat". Canadian Field-Naturalist 113 (4): 605=608. 
  7. ^ Potter, Tiffany (April 13, 2004). Reproduction of Canada Lynx Discovered in Yellowstone. Nature: Year in Review. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  8. ^ Bronski, P (June 2007). Environment - Missing Lynx. 5280 Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
  9. ^ Weinstein, MS (1977). "(abstract) Hares, Lynx, and Trappers". The American Naturalist 111 (980): 806-808. 
  10. ^ http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr3552.pdf 65 Federal Register 16051 16086
  11. ^ Canada Lynx - U.S. FWS

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